The present application relates to electrical connectors.
Separable connectors are used in numerous electrical installations to carry signals and power between components. The most familiar examples of separable connector are used in numerous electrical plug and socket. More elaborate connectors are used to carry electrical power and signals between components of electronic equipment. For example, an electronic device such as a computer may include a main circuit board, commonly referred to as a "mother board", and one or more additional circuit boards, commonly referred to as "daughter boards". Each daughter board carries one connector, whereas the mother board carries the mating connectors. Each daughter board can be removed for service or upgrading by separating the connectors. Large electronic devices such as mainframe computers, computer networking hubs and industrial control installations often are built using a rack-mount system. In such a system the individual components are built on separate chassis. A large rack has slots which receive the chassis of the components in much the same way as the frame of a household dresser receives the individual drawer. Connectors mounted on the rack at the rear of the slots mate with connectors mounted on the individual components when the chassis are seated in the slots. The connectors on the rack are connected to one another as, for example by a large circuit board referred to as a "backplane", so that when the components are seated in the slots, the components are connected to one another.
Connectors for use in these and other applications must meet several demanding requirements. Those elements of the connectors which conduct power to the connected devices must carry substantial currents, which can range up to 100 amperes or more. Because the amount of heat generated in the connector is proportional to the square of the current and proportional to the resistance in the connector, the resistance in the connector must be very low. Other elements of the connectors, which conduct low-power signals such as computer data signals between connected devices also should provide low-resistance, reliable connections.
The connectors should be easy to engage and disengage, and should compensate for misalignment between the mating connectors. For example, the connectors should still function properly even if the circuit boards or other components holding the connectors are imperfect, so that the connectors are slightly out of alignment with one another. Also, the mating parts of the connectors should continue to function properly even if the components holding the connectors move or warp during service, so that a connector tilts slightly with respect to the mating connector.
Connectors must be manufactured in an almost infinite variety of configurations to meet different design requirements including the number of circuits to be connected and the current carrying capacity of individual elements. Orientation of the connector adds additional variations. For example, some connectors designed for mounting on circuit boards are arranged so that the mating connector can be engaged by moving it downwardly from above the circuit board. Other connectors are arranged so that the mating connector can be engaged by moving it horizontally, in a plane parallel to the plane of the circuit board. Also, some connectors are arranged so that as the mating connectors are engaged, particular electrical circuits established by the individual elements of the connector are made in a predetermined order matched to the electrical requirements of the devices to be connected. The need to accommodate all of these variations greatly complicates the task of designing and manufacturing connectors at a reasonable cost.
All of these considerations, taken together, present a formidable challenge. Many attempts have been made heretofore to satisfy these requirements. However, despite all of the efforts of the art heretofore, there has been a substantial need for improvement in connector design.